When evaluating his first few weeks on the job and the first handful of spring practices, new Winder-Barrow head football coach Ed Dudley gave it a “so far, so good” grade.
The new guy in town is still in the process of learning his new coaching staff and a group of 110 players but has been encouraged by what he has seen since the team started spring practice May 3.
“I’ve been really pleased with the attitude and atmosphere at practice every day,” said Dudley, whose Bulldoggs will travel to Jackson County at 7 p.m. Friday for a spring scrimmage.
Dudley compiled a 193-87 record and seven region championships as a head coach at four schools from 1992-2015 and spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Wesleyan. He is taking the reins of an up-and-coming Winder-Barrow program that underwent a four-year revival — reaching the playoffs each year — under former coach Heath Webb, who departed earlier this year for Gainesville.
“It’s like I’ve been telling everyone who will listen to me. This program was not broken at all when I got here,” Dudley said. “We’re not having to fix or rebuild anything. We’re plugging in a similar, but new offense. Every spread offense is its own individualized thing. We’re working in some new coaching personnel along with trying to find some guys to replace some great players who graduated. We’ll see how they step up and play together.”
Most of the change is coming on the offensive side of the ball. The Bulldoggs are looking to replace a four-year starter at quarterback in all-region performer Brock Landis, who was the GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA Offensive Player of the Year last fall after throwing for 2,204 yards and 19 touchdowns and running for another 524 yards and eight scores on the ground. Landis is graduating and is headed to play college football at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.
Rising junior Jhaydon Sullivan, who took the majority of the backup snaps at quarterback last year is spearheading the competition to replace Landis, while rising junior Brett Landis (Brock’s younger brother) and rising senior Jack Cook are also getting looks.
Jamar Mack, a two-year starter and all-region player last fall, will be back for his senior season to anchor the backfield while rising senior Aaron Bagley and rising sophomore Brian Ford have looked good at tailback this spring, according to Dudley.
See more in the May 16 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.

Just a correction. Brock Landis was a three year starter for WBHS 2015-2017 Unless you are considering Junior Varsity/8th grade in 2014. Noah Chapman was the varsity starter the entire 2014 and the beginning, end and playoffs of 2015. So Brock was starter of varsity partially in 2015, and was the sole starter the two seasons of 2016 and 2017. Not sure how Steve Thompson did his research but Journalism is suffering everywhere.

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